From the age of 80, drivers must present a medical certificate certifying their full physical and mental faculties. Italian Candida Uderzo passed all the tests with distinction
Candida Uderzo refuses to let age define it. Get up early in the morning, stay active, exercise with friends, and try to be as independent as possible. Now, at the age of 100, she is a three-hundred-year-old Italian who is renewing her driver’s license. the secret? “Love of Life” reveals to Corriere del Veneto.
The Italian has been driving “always”, but renewing the document is difficult since the age of 80 – every two years, drivers must present a medical certificate attesting to their full physical and mental abilities.
Medical examinations have proven to be an easy test for Candida, which is so healthy, she admits, surprising her. He admits: “I’m lucky.” “I never take medication, just a sleeping pill now and then.” Hospitals? “I only went once because of a hernia.” But it was his excellent performance in an eye examination, in the province of Vicenza where he resides, that determined the renewal of the license.
The document is now valid until 2024, when he turns 102. He ensures that “the renewal makes me happy, and it also makes me a little freer,” adding that he doesn’t want to be “annoyed” or dependent on anyone.
The only daughter, Gianni, asserts that her mother’s independence is worrisome: “We have to ask her, just in case, to stay around. We haven’t put GPS in her car yet because it usually tells us where to go.”
White was a widow in her fifties, and heartbreak forced a reassessment of the way she lives. “I decided that surviving meant having as much fun as possible.” The first stage involved taking long walks with a group of friends, between “talking and laughing”, which helped ease the grief.
After retirement, I started to adopt physical activity as a lifestyle. “Every Sunday at 6:00 am I’m ready to go. I really enjoy working out and have no intention of quitting.”
He adds, however, that the passion for life did not begin at the age of fifty, and will not end at the age of one hundred. It is really innate:
“I’ve always loved being alive. I loved walking in the mountains, picking mushrooms, and navigating. But I also liked talking to people, exchanging opinions with others. In short, I never liked being hung up at home.”
The driving school agreed, and for at least another two years, Candida would continue to enjoy freedom of travel on Italian roads.
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